WAYNE, N.J. — The New Jersey City University baseball team hit the road for a pair of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contests with William Paterson University on Friday, April 16, dropping both games by scores of 14-3 and 22-13.

The Gothic Knights (3-16, 1-6 NJAC) offensive outburst in the later game marked the second-most runs scored for the team this season.

Game 1
The Pioneers (16-3, 7-1 NJAC) jumped out to a hot start in the early tilt, putting up six runs on four hits off starter freshman Ali Pompey (Belle Meade, N.J./Trenton Catholic). Things did not improve for the NJCU bullpen, as the Knights found themselves on the wrong end of an 11-1 deficit after three innings of play. NJCU managed to put up two more runs in the eighth on a triple from freshman Ricky Tuero (West New York, N.J./Memorial) and a throwing error which brought him home, but was ultimately unable to find a crack in the Pioneer pitching armor. WPU's Jordan Manne pitched 8.0 innings strong, giving up only six hits while striking out three and walking three. The Pioneers tacked on an additional three runs for a final score of 14-3.

Game 2
The later contest was a chase for the Gothic Knights from start to finish, as the Pioneers poured on runs and NJCU fought valiantly to keep pace.

Starting hot again, William Paterson jumped out to another swift 3-0 lead in their half of the first frame. The Gothic Knights responded with two of their own during their turn at bat, as junior Ricky Voss (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional) laced a RBI double followed by a pair of singles from junior Leo Colon (Carteret, N.J./St. Anthony (Jersey City)) and sophomore Jimmy Vizzoni (Hamilton, N.J./Trenton Catholic). The Knights would knot the game in the second, but the Pioneers pulled ahead with an eight-run outburst in the third. The Gothic Knights again responded, starting with a Voss lead-off homer. Vizzoni also added to his RBI total on the day by hitting a double before being chased home by a three-bagger from freshman Nick Chiappisi (Toms River, N.J./Manchester Township).

The Pioneers continued their hot hitting, piling on another seven before the Knights managed another mini-rally in the seventh. With the bases juiced and two outs, freshman D.J. Dekis (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) cleared the bases with a double to pull NJCU closer. Chiappisi followed with another double to make the score 18-10 in favor of the Pioneers. William Patterson never let up the offensive pressure enough for the Knights to catch up, tallying another four in the eighth to widen the gap to 22-10. The Gothic Knights final push was sparked by freshman Justin Moreno's (Brooklyn, N.Y./Trenton Catholic) two-out single to plate two, followed by fellow rookie Michael Gurzynski's (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) double to score Moreno, ending NJCU's scoring for the day. Voss led the Knights explosive day at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort including a walk, plating two.

What's Next
NJCU will travel to Ewing for a double header with The College of New Jersey tomorrow, April 17. Start times are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.